Victoria & Albert the 2001 TV series

If you have watched The Young Victoria then maybe you will wonder how certain events in this two-part series were depicted years before, after or not at all, but truth be told- this lavish and ponderous creation delves deeper into Victoria's early years of reign and her relationship with Albert, than the movie ever could\did.


[WATCH ONLINE: It took me a while to find the videos online and I am very, very  grateful to 'docnarchy' who was nice enough to put them up where I could finally find them.
I have arranged the videos available on YouTube into two volumes on my playlist- Part One and Part Two. They are each of about one and a half hours. Enjoy the series.]

We really get to know Albert- that he had dreams, that he had trepidations about the marriage and that, although he was fond of Victoria, he was not in love with her till much, much, later.
It is of course a TV series, not a documentary, and therefore has taken liberal creative license with the 'Good Queen's' story, but you can actually feel Albert's frustration here and wonder at Victoria for fearing to be led by him- her power usurped by another- when she was led so thoroughly by Lord Melbourne, and not always wisely.

But Victoria grows through the series, she understands and appreciates Albert better as the months pass. Then one day, a few years later, just as 'Stocky' had predicted, Albert's patience pays off and Victoria no longer says that he could not help her because he was 'a foreigner', that 'there would be an uproar!' if such a thing happened.

Again, if you have watched The Young Victoria, then you would remember that pivotal moment in their relationship when Albert jumps in front of Victoria and takes a shot from a mad man. He returns home injured, with a remorseful Victoria crying by his bedside because they had quarrelled and she had said cruel things to him.
After that Lord M suggests that Victoria should take advantage of the loyalty Albert shows the crown and her and use his intelligence and diplomacy as he has been offering till then. For 'he is a better man than any of us knew'!
Victoria shifts his desk into her office and Albert asks, 'have I no say in this?' gratefully and smiling. His wife laughs and says, 'no.' Thus begins their happiness.
This series shows it differently.

One thing that stuck in my craw was Lord M saying that Albert was a good man, as if his willingness to sacrifice himself proves him in a way his years of quiet support and behind-the-scenes diplomacy never did.
In V&A, the mad man does shoot at Victoria, but misses and hurts a soldier. Albert pushes her down and screams at the driver to get going. Before the second shot rings out, the man is taken down by the guards.
They were visiting Victoria's mother, much against the queen's wishes, and on their way back Victoria insisted that they return again in an open carriage for the 'public must know that we trust them'.
The bravery was thus both Albert's and Victoria's. Things do not dramatically improve for them either.
It is only after their second child, young Prince Albert Edward, is born that Albert finally forces her to choose between her pride and stubbornness and his place by her side.
She chooses him.
Lord M does advice her to no longer waste Albert's good judgement and talents, but only after his government falls and he no longer remains her closest confidant and guide. He can now afford to forward the prince-consort's cause, since he would not have to worry about the Prince usurping his position of influence over the queen.
The series also shows Albert's efforts on the Great Exhibition, the years they spent together, their love for each other and their children, and also Victoria's improved relations with her mother.
Finally, the story winds through to the end by telling us of Albert's death from typhoid.

That the series impressed me is an understatement. Ah, what performance. I think I'm a little in love with David Suchet, who played advisor to the entire family of Coburg and was fondly nicknamed 'Stocky'.

Finally, I found this lovely picture of a family portrait that you might like:

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